Fall in new car sales presents unique opportunity for motoring trade

Mar 12, 2018

New figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show new car registrations at the end of 2017 were down 5.7 percent on 2016, with the dip expected to continue this year. Influenced by the current economic climate and Euro to Sterling exchange rates, manufacturers have been forced to raise the price point of new cars, driving the number of sales down.

But this doesn’t have to spell doom and gloom for the motoring industry.

With a proactive approach to aftersales, dealerships, garages and mechanics up and down the country can win and, most importantly, retain new customers.

As drivers now keep vehicles for an average of six years, compared to four years a decade ago, there is an increasing number of older cars on the road which will inevitably need more regular maintenance than newer models.

Analysis of online search terms shows that over the past year the number of searches for new cars has fallen steadily, while searches for used cars have risen to match and at times exceed them. Even more interesting is that searches for aftersales services like brakes and MoT have long surpassed those for new or used cars, showing that drivers are looking to invest in rather than replace their current vehicle.

This trend towards servicing rather than replacing presents a fantastic opportunity for the motoring trade. We’re seeing an increasing number of drivers use MyCarNeedsA.com to help them find a local mechanic who can work on their car, with our busiest ever day coming in February this year.

At MyCarNeedsA.com almost half (46 percent) of the jobs accepted and carried out by garages are servicing and brakes. In addition, 85 percent of our customers’ jobs are ‘Grade A’ profitable work such as brakes, MoT, servicing, timing belt, clutch and air conditioning work. We have found the value of the average brake job to garages is £146, while the average value of a service is £127.

This month the UK will have the highest number of cars going through MoT ever! At MyCarNeedsA.com over 26,000 of our customers have MoTs due in March. We’ve emailed those customers a reminder that their MoT is due and with just one click they will automatically be sent quotes to choose from. It couldn’t be simpler.

Mechanics, garages and dealerships who are carrying out these jobs have an opportunity to secure new customers by providing great service and building trust with drivers. A positive experience means vehicle owners will be more likely to return to a specific mechanic for future work.

For dealerships, this loyalty could be converted to a sales opportunity when the time comes for the driver to upgrade. Over 45% of MyCarNeedsA.com customers are currently sitting in the change cycle, having owned their car for more than 2 years.

Providing excellent after sales options like enhanced servicing offers and improving the customer experience are now more important than ever as businesses bid to keep customers coming back and a joined strategy of sales and aftersales can make a massive difference to the success of a dealership or garage.

About MyCarNeedsA.com

MyCarNeedsA.com is the comparison website that customers use for all their car maintenance and repair needs.

MyCarNeedsA.com has over 4,000 garages and workshop partners nationwide, including fast fit chains, large dealerships, manufacturers and independent garages.

All garages are put through a moderation process and only authorised repairers can quote on the jobs.